Preparation is everything - Ocean Racing tips

by Danielle McKay on 18 Dec 2008 80% of an Ocean Race result, will probably be decided long before a boat sails to the startline. Its the same for all long races, whether its the Rolex Sydney to Hobart, the Melbourne to Hobart or shorter races.

Today the winner of the inaugural 2007 Clive Peeters’ Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race Jeff Cordell shares his top twelve tips that took him all the way to victory. While he is directing his readers attention to that short race thats from the eastern top of Tasmania down to Hobart, many of Cordell's cooments apply equally to Sydney to Hobart racers.

The Mumm 36 skipper said he came in to the L2H with hopes, not expectations, of winning.

But with a race time of 1day 18 hours and 33 minutes he and his crew of 7 aboard Host Plus Executive indeed did win.

It wasn’t by luck - it was a culmination of good preparation and tactics that saw him lead the race from start to finish.

One: Be thorough with boat preparations.

“Preparation is everything.”

For Cordell preparation is paramount. While every skipper has a “to-do-list” Cordell says there is a few points often overlooked.

Inspect your sails thoroughly and send your regularly used sails to a sail maker to professionally inspect.

Test all bilge pumps.

Always change the engine filter whether you think you need to or not and carry a spare primary and secondary filter during the race.

Check all navigation lights and pay special attention to the windex, and carry spare bulbs.

Have your motor serviced in advance.

Charge and top up all batteries with a 240 vault charger.

Two: Choose your crew wisely.

“You have to have a crew who you can trust and who get along with each other. They have to want to be there, have passion for ocean racing and be prepared to take on a real challenge.’’

Cordell admits he is lucky. He has an in-shore crew ideal for the short, fast and punchy around the cans racing and an off-shore crew who gets along and can perform despite sea sickness and physical and mental exhaustion.

His advice for skippers facing crew selection is simple: chose team players and use the off-shore series or the delivery trip to test crew.

“Delivery trips or the Maria Island race gives sailors a chance to figure out if they get sea sick, if they‘re up for it and if they get along with the other crew members,” Cordell said.

“Often it’s not nice being on the bow and getting cold and wet, but you need to know that your crew is flexible and they will step into varied roles.’’

Three: Make safety a priority

“As the skipper it’s up to you to ensure that your crew are safe and that they are aware of safety procedures.”

Having skippered in the fateful ‘98 Sydney to Hobart race Cordell is more aware than some of how vital safety is.

While the L2H is a category-three-race and there are no requirements for crew training, Cordell said skippers should advocate that crews complete the Safety at Sea course.

“It’s cliché but a sinking ship is no time to be on your L-plates with life rafts,’’ Cordell said.

“You need to make sure everyone in the crew is aware of how and where safety equipment is kept, how a life raft works, how the man overboard works and even flares.’’

Another safety tip: always harness on and keep one hand for the boat and one for you.

Four: Allow plenty of time to get to the start line

“There were a lot of boats that were battered by conditions during the delivery last year. You need to consider weather conditions and give yourself time so you can pace your trip.”

Cordell advised skippers to leave as early as possible and plot 20 to 30 mile targets that can provide a safe-haven if needed.

“It’s as simple as leaving the Thursday night instead of Friday morning,’’ Cordell said.

“While it’s a great opportunity to test the crew and the boat, you don’t want to put undue pressure on yourself and risk damage or injury because you’re pressed for time.

“We always have small hops marked in case the weather turns bad: if the Iron Pot’s bad we’ll turn home. If it’s ok the next mark is Port Arthur, then Fortescue Bay, Chinamans, Triabunna, Brians Corner, Coles Bay, Wine Glass, St Helens and then once we’re passed Eddystone it tends to be ok.’’

Five: Pack food that will sustain crew.

“There is a culture in yacht racing where it‘s believed that a can of coke and a Mars Bar is all you need,” Cordell’s galley-master Gavin Cowell said.

“But what you really need is nutritional, simple carbohydrate based, easy to serve food, and keep it warm when possible.’’

Cowell’s experience has taught him crews don’t want big meals but they do want regular meals. And he says the best instrument in his cooking arsenal is his cryovac machine.

Cowell’s Menu:

Breakfast: bacon/sausage and egg sandwich
Lunch: Steak and tomato sandwich
Dinner: Stew or casserole.
Midnight snack: Toasted sandwiches
Snacks: Muesli bars, trail mix, box of Shapes.
Fluid: Pump water bottles onboard. Keep up regular hot drinks, they’re a good crew comforter.

Six: Have a dry boat.

“Like most sailors we enjoy a drink, but you have to look at what you want out of the race; we weren’t there to party, we were there to perform.”

Cordell says a beer or two the night before the race is ok, but no more. And there is no room for a carton on a racing boat either.

But he admits just minutes after the sound of the finishing gun he and his winning crew had a well deserved Bundy at hand.

Seven: Be strict on crew gear and save weight.

“You would be surprised how much weight you can save if you take a close look at what each crew member is brining aboard. You save around 5kg per person and soon that adds to 40-kg plus and it makes a difference.”

Cordell believes the distance of the race together with modern wet weather gear means crew members need only pack a change of underwear, perhaps a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for the day and maybe a change of thermals.

Eight: Be disciplined on implementing a watch system.

“We finished the race in about 43 hours. That’s not enough time to settle in to a proper system. Staggering crew as necessary is far more effective.’’

It takes discipline Cordell said, but send crew down for rest when possible.

“Everybody wants to stay awake through the day and sleep after 10pm, but there will be times when it’s quiet so send crew for a rest, and there will be times in the night where you’ll need everyone on deck so work around that.”

Cordell also recommends having two primary skippers who rotate, but also allowing other crew member to have a helm if the conditions allow. “It’s a great experience to helm in an ocean race and a good incentive for crew.’’

Nine: Identify your competitors and use them as motivators.

“Every sked we would plot our competitors and see if we were losing or gaining ground. This gave us an aim and motivated the whole crew.”

Cordell identified Sydney 38 Asylum, Radford 14 Haphazard and Mumm 30 Oedipus Complex as contenders. He said keeping a close watch on their progress was vital for gauging their own performance and also rewarding good efforts of the crew.

Ten: Know the limits of your yacht and crew.

“Sometimes it pays to be conservative, know your limits in terms of boat handling and your sails’ capacity.”
With a light-wind forecast and an IRC limit of three spinnakers Cordell packed his three biggest kites.
But between St Helens and Maria Island they were hit a 20 knot South Easter.

The boat was flying but prime competitor, Haphazard was closing in. Cordell made a big call and dumped the kite. Haphazard continued to close in. But within minutes Haphazard rounded up and wiped out. Host Plus pulled away and made ground.

“Edmunds is arguably the best skipper in the fleet, he tends to be conservative l